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Perú

April - May 2021
My spiritual pilgrimage to a mystical land Read more
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  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 1

    Cusco

    April 28, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    Finally touching down in Cusco after barely getting any sleep from the whacky flight schedules. I arrived during the wee hours at Lima airport and tried to get what rest I could while waiting for the connecting flight to Cusco. Immediately, I could feel the change in the oxygen levels and found my heart to be beating faster and taking longer breaths. I went to the bathroom first thing and then out the airport lobby to look for a money exchanger but they were all still closed. Luckily there was a taxi driver who accepted dollars and it wasn’t really that expensive too. He took me to my hostel in Collacalle, called Hawka Inca Hostal. On the way, I was able to see Cusco and its surroundings and immediately fell in love with the city. Surrounded by mountains and Incan architecture, cobbled streets with traces from its Spanish colonial past, all blending into the quintessential Peruvian must-visit city, what a sight and place to be. It felt so surreal to be actually this far out in the world, all the way in South America in one of the most exotic hotspots, I felt a strong sense of achievement and gratitude and tremendous excitement for the adventures ahead.

    I checked in my hostel with a kind lady, the room was amazing. Bigger and better than any hotel I’ve stayed in Japan but a hundred times cheaper with free breakfast and my own bathroom, what more can I ask for? I tried not to strain myself too hard or else I would find myself winded, even the stairs were a chore. I took a shower and went to the Healing Tree Center to meet Andres. They were going to do a check-up for me to measure if I am ready to take Ayahuasca the next day, I also had to drink volcanic water. It was a bit hard to find where they were located but their office was very spiritual, carrying images of Jesus Christ, a statue of Ganesha and Buddha, a mix of all cultures. I had to drink several jugs of volcanic water for a full body detox. It didn’t taste good nor did it taste bad, the taste of minerals was definitely there. After a few cups, I was off to the bathroom to “detox” and this went on for several times until I was free to go. I walked out with Andres where he showed me a bit more of the town, took me to a place where I can exchange money and left me somewhere in the central part of town as we had to part ways.

    I started going around town and found myself in the town square where a statue towered in the center, all around the square were magnificent churches and restaurants, and behind them were mountains with houses lining up its base, crawling upwards. The weather was fairly chilly, I found refuge in a traditional Peruvian restaurant. My search for the restaurant took me to the various corners of Cusco, getting aerial views and going through tight alleys, it was so fun to just get lost. The food was amazing, cheap and very filling. I found a vendor to buy tissue paper from, it was so dirt cheap I just gave her more money as I don’t think she will be earning much with the drop in tourists in Cusco. She was grateful and advised me not to put my wallet in the front pocket of my bag, that was very kind of her. I was also approached by some street peddlers selling paintings, being the softie that I am, I ended up buying from both of them at a price I think was quite marked-up but I believed they needed the money more. I got back to my place to rest but was surprised that I was still full, just a couple of bananas were enough.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 2

    Cusco II

    April 29, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    The day I was quite looking forward to, one of the reasons of visiting Peru was definitely trying out Ayahuasca and after an underwhelming experience of Bufo Alvarius in Mexico, I had wanted to experience something worthwhile. I ate a light breakfast and got picked up by the driver that took me to the Healing Tree Center’s retreat house up in the mountains. The way towards was very beautiful, surrounded by mountains and fields, to be able to do Ayahuasca in such a place and to have a one-on-one with a Shaman was as Andres said, an honor.

    There was an older man and a woman from Russia when I entered. I got served tea, turns out the woman really enjoyed her trip and booked another one. Before my actual ayahuasca ceremony, I had some other ceremonies to do with the shaman. We did the Kuti ceremony first, which is something like letting go and being forgiven and then inside the ceremony room, we smoked tabacco while the shaman gave me a coca leaf reading. I asked how would it be if my work in the future would involve animals and plants and the leaves showed that the affinity was very good.

    Now came the time for me to drink, I was a bit cheeky and asked for more but I had forgotten I was still battling altitude sickness. I chugged it down and so did the shaman. As in we are in synch, the moment I started feeling it, that's also when the shaman started to hum a bit, going for a crescendo when I started to feel nauseaous and puked. He was singing most of the time, ikaro they called it. It helped ground me, I was definitely having a hard time, all the vomitting made my dehydrated. Hannan gave me perfume to ground me more, it was difficult. I did not feel good at all, my vision of a giant serpent entity, with vines and snakes tangling each other, lasted the whole trip. At one point, I was simply waiting for the trip to be over, trying my best to ground myself and survive. Soon it did end. We did the pacha mama ceremony to thank Mother Earth, I contributed my obsidian. The one I got from Mexico. I didn't realize they were gonna burn it but oh well. We went outside to burn it, my vision still trippy but the world was beautiful. After burning it, we went back inside to have some soup. I really needed it. Hannan and I exchanged some interesting stories, I learned something interesting from the Peruvian beliefs that they believe the dead are now living in the future while we are still living in the past, not the opposite. I went home still a bit dazed and tired, had a nice rest in my hostel and I also watched the Kimetsu no Yaiba movie while eating some bananas.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 3

    Chinchero

    April 30, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Another day of adventure. Today was an interesting day, I booked a tour with one of the agencies but didn't realize it was a private tour. I was picked up by Mario from my hostel as we went to our first destination: the Quecha town of Chinchero. Mario provided me a lot of information about the Quecha and how the language is quite similar to Japanese. The town was very colorful albeit a bit dead due to having no tourists. We went to a nearby hill overlooking the town and beside it the ancient Incan ruins of Chinchero. A lot of it was destroyed when the Spaniards arrived and pretty much this is all of what was left.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 3

    Moray

    April 30, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Here comes the fun part, after Sacred Valley, we had to do a horse trek. We went to the stables and picked ourselves some Peruvian Paso horses. My horse's name was Siete Macho, the 7 warriors. I'd like to think we had a good connection, everytime I spoke his ears would puck up towards me. He knew how to follow directions and I quickly got the hang of riding. It was a long ride that span several hours. We crossed huge spans of land and got to see the different type of landscapes with the Andean mountains surrounding us. It was such a great day. We passed through some towns and had to climb up mountains, even encountering some traffic problems with other shepherds and their animals. There were times when I had to go down my horse to guide it through tough corners and cross rivers.

    Our main destination was to see Moray, an Incan agricultural laboratory built through several layers of ground. Each layer had different temperature to try out different seeds. It was an ancient marvel. Afterwards, we went to a nearby restaurant to fill our bellies up, I found myself unable to eat much still and Mario explained to me that this was due to the high altitude slowing down digestion. Peruvians themselves don't eat too much at night. I was bouncing full when I got on the horse again, it was quite uncomfortable but it did help with the digestion. It was another long way back to the stables that took a few more hours and the way back was not as fun as I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable between my legs, sitting on the saddle for too long. Eventually, we did get back and I said good bye to the ranch owner and my horse.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 3

    Salineras de Maras

    April 30, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    The last stop was the salt mines of Maras. It was actually also pretty far away but I enjoyed the car ride as it was a much welcome reprieve from horse back riding the whole day. The salt mines were better than I expected, the landscape was simply out of this world. Mario explained to me that the salt mines were pretty much owned by different farmers. I was also getting a bit angsty as I had to meet with Salkantay Trekking to get my briefing for the hike the next day. While I was a bit late, I was able to find their office and get a briefing on what lies ahead. On the way back to my hostel, I picked up some insect repellant just in case. It was going to be a big day, the reason I came to Peru and I knew I wouldn't get much sleep still since I have been having problems adjusting to it, notwithstanding the fact that we had to wake up super early in the wee hours. I steeled my resolve.Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 4

    Salkantay

    May 1, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I awoke very early in the day, it was pretty much still pitch black outside. I barely got any sleep. I pushed on through, took my shower and double checked all my things. Put on my chullo and waded out through the darkness until I reached my hostel's entrance. I wasn't too keen on going out just yet. I took a peek outside, the streets were empty with only street lamps lighting the path. I quickly went back in, it was bloody cold. I waited for a couple of more minutes and one of the guys from Salkantay Trekking, Ramiro came to get me. We headed over to the plaza, I was doing all I can to keep myself warm. We had to wait for the van to pick us up. After a couple of more grueling minutes, our ride finally arrived. I quickly got on and took a solo seat and tried to get some shut eye. People in the back were surprisingly noisy, I wasn't exactly in the mood to be making conversation at 4 in the morning. We had to pick up two more people, some chicks from New York who apparently were in the same group as me. The rest of the guys were also from the US. It was a long ride to where we were going and the guys at the back just wouldn't shut up, it was quite annoying, especially that one voice (Arash). After an hour or so, the sun started to shine through, revealing the beautiful mountain range of the Andes. My mood started to get better, making some small talks here and there.

    We got to our first stop, a nearby village to eat our breakfast. I was seated with my group, Trish and Penelope. The other guys were at the other table, the lot of them were from Iran except Richard who looked Asian. Arash, Faraz, Shahrouz, Omid & Kia, spoiler alert... turns out they are really amazing people and I was just letting my morning crankiness get the best of me. Arash especially was a very funny guy. Our breakfast was amazing, a lot of fruits mostly. There were also some coca leaves, I advised the girls to get some to fight the impending fight with altitude. We took our turns going to the one toilet available and got on back to our ride that took us even higher up the mountain. My ears were popping again and again. We finally touched down on ground zero, I was feeling a bit nervous but also excited, what have I gotten myself into, can I really do this? We were putting on our sun screen and it was a good thing I opted to get the hiking sticks since I saw everyone had them. I was trying to save money but on hindsight, I probably would not have made it without them. Our conversations touched a bit on Ayahuasca and such, they wanted to try it as well and I shared my experience. We were all set to go after another bathroom break until Richard brought out his pen. Oh man, my Achilles' Heel. We passed it around and hit it hard, I just can't say no when offered. It felt like a good and bad idea at the same time, now I just had to see how it goes. Ramiro gathered up our group, gave us a short brief and off we went. We were asked to pick up a rock right before we started a trek.

    Now the pen was hitting me hard at this point, I originally had to stay away from any drugs before taking San Pedro but everything was once in a lifetime. The hike started out pretty amazing, the mountain was absolutely breathtaking. There were flowers blooming all around, all the different kind of plants and trees. It felt so liberating to be smack dab in the middle of all this wonderulf nature. However, there was the altitude, and the weed certainly did not help doing the hike. I got winded pretty quickly, and soon I was regretting my decision as we pushed on higher and higher, I was already lagging behind the group. I was trying to put on a straight face but man, it was so tough. Ramiro would stop from time to time to share and explain some of the flora and fauna which I happily welcomed. This went on for who knows how long until Ramiro finally said that the worse part is over for the day. I let out a huge sigh of relief. We got to rest for a bit by some rocks and ate some snacks. There was a dog who hanged out with us for a bit. We passed by a lot of beautiful landscapes and waterfalls on the way to our camp. From the distance, I could see our sky-dome glass tents. It was still a long walk away but I was quite happy we were heading downhill. We got to rest for a bit and had some traditional Peruvian food for lunch. We were in a huge cabin with a giant glass window showcasing us the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately, the worse is yet to come as we put our stuff in our domes, I was lucky enough to have one all to myself being in a 3-man group. I ran into Richard and told him of my plight and him being a life-saver that he is, shared with me some altitude sickness pills. Without those, I probably also would not have been able to make it pass the first day. We had to rendevouz once again in the main lounge because our next goal was Laguna Humantay, which was going to take another couple of hours worth of non-stop uphill.

    I was already pretty winded from the initial hike, the next one had me gasping for air. It was gruesome, long and winding, seemed to never end as we climbed up the zigzagging road of rocks. I started to feel the altitude sickness pills taking effect but it was still difficult nonetheless. I can't imagine doing it without them. Ramiro stayed behind me and encouraged me, waiting for me to catch up. It was the first time I had to do something this difficult bar Mt. Fuji. I didn't want to give up, though the option was presented to me by Ramiro to go back. I chose to push on and on I went, lagging behind everyone at this point. They have much more experience at hiking than me. I made it though, I was welcomed by everyone and the hike was completely worth it. Laguna Humantay was absolutely out of this world. We had some picture taking while I sat down and tried to catch my breath but the moment you stopped moving the cold started to creep in. Not long after, we were now heading back down which thankfully was much easier than going up. I still had to catch my breath every now and then but the worse of the day was behind me. It was sunset now, there were alpacas grazing about and it was much more peaceful. I started to appreciate the day and was so relieved for having survived Day 1 out of 4. We had a chill dinner and I got some more pills from the gang, thankfully all of them were pharmacists and had a huge inventory. I bade them good night and quickly got to my dome and crashed. The stars were amazing though but I was just so extremely tired. It was very cold as well, I had to put on layers upon layers and tucked myself in my sleeping bag with a blanket draped over. I couldn't sleep and tried my best, I had to go out to take a piss as well. It was a difficult night which was soon interrupted by the morning call of coca tea.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 5

    Salkantay II

    May 2, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We met up once again at the main lodge for breakfast. It was eerily early, the sun was not even out yet. This was the last time we would be eating here as our next climb would take us pass Salkantay. We started to head back up as the sun started to rise. I was having a difficult time once again due to the altitude. I was making a lot of frequent stops but the views were getting much more grand and magnificent by the minute. We got to a dilapitated hut of some sort where the guys took some Adderal. I just went ahead and took one too though I didn't really feel much of the effects as well. We did reach the peak eventually, with snow capped rooftops and warm sunshine, it was a perfect day. Here, we had a nice relaxing time for some snacks and there was a cultural ceremony where we had to put some coca leaves under the rock we picked up the first day. Unfortunately, I couldn't find my rock and I had to embarrasingly get another rock on the floor which wasn't how it was meant to be. I later found out the rock I picked up was still in my bag and I had brought it all the way to Japan, it now sits on my snake plant's vase. Angel and Ramiro especially were also very happy, it was their first time out on the field again ever since the pandemic and the weather was perfect. One of our guys, Sharouz, ended up vomitting, it was pretty nasty. The rest of the way was downhill, and I started to get really into it as the altitude sickness left my body, everything started to feel much better. The hike was now very fun, things were much more beautiful. We even saw some condors. I learned that the condor and fox usually form a pair with the fox leading the condor to dead carcas and the condor opening it up for the fox while they both share their meal. The pen was being passed around again and this time, it made everything even more amazing. I stuck behind Ramiro for a bit, a dog was also walking with me. It was great! Ramiro commented at first I was behind everyone and now I'm the one leading. It felt good to be acknowledged. We reached our second check point, it was much warmer here. Comfortable, I was meditating and the dog started to rub itself on me. We had our lunch and I was just happy to laze about on the grass. The terrain has been changing so much because now we were heading into the cloud forest. Insect repellents, highly recommended but fortunately, bugs don't really bite me.

    The forest gradually became thicker but the surroundings also more beautiful as lush vegetation surrounded us. Ramiro gave us the rundown on the different flowers and plants on the way. We were now in the jungle, the sun was setting and Angel, the person in charge of the other group started to go to a different route which worried Ramiro as he was saying there was no path there but we were too far away. Eventually Ramiro moved forward to tell Angel and Angel also realized this as he was looking around frantically for the path. We had to turn back and we were losing a lot of valuable time as the sun began to set. We were following Ramiro and we didn't know where he was heading, there were two ways one above and below, I didn't know what was going on in my mind to take the path below as it was surrounded by thorns but Penelope said he probably went through there so I did try to go in and it was horrible. I got pricked a bunch, my clothes got stuck while they laughed and tried to help. It was so funny and stupid because Ramiro showed up on the other side. Turns out the route above was the right one. We did get to camp as it was getting dark, the second camp was an extremely welcome one as we could have a shower and there was even wi-fi. I had an Andean hut all to my self again luckily. We took our turns for the shower and I met up with everyone at the second floor of the main building for dinner. Arash let me hit the pen again as he started to tell funny stories and make some munchies for dessert. At first, I found him annoying but turns out he's such an awesome guy. Angel was very bummed about his mistake and apologized to us but everyone wasn't bothered by it at all. I was able to appreciate the Milky Way this time around, it was much more visible than it was the first day. I spent some time looking out before retiring to bed. I was able to get some rest but still not much sleep, I had been having trouble with sleep throughout Peru.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 6

    Salkantay III

    May 3, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Feeling much better, we had a brief breakfast and the usual coca tea. The sun rising, the air smelled refreshing and we were once again on the road. Day 3 of the trek to Machu Picchu. It was a bittersweet day as this was also the last day we were going to be with the other group as they had a 5 days trek while we had 4 days. We passed by more marvelous terrain from rivers, waterfalls, vertical farms on the mountain side and valleys. The road went on and on and Richard brought out the old pen again. Angel and I took some hits and we were just vibing, the path was dominantly flat and everything was so good until it wasn't. We had to cross some land that was destroyed by the recent landslide while there were still rocks falling around. It was quite thrilling, I had a lot of fun doing this part of the trek. Others not so much, as Sharouz has put it, "I literally shit my pants." Richard also almost got hit by a rock while crossing through. We had to jump across rivers and I wasn't so lucky as my shoes fell in the water which quickly dried up due to the heat. We crossed some bridges and some some more animals and insects. We finally got to the next checkpoint where we had our final lunch with the gang. We had a lot of photo taking and I was surprised to find purple corn on my plate. Then it was time to say good bye, we bid our farewells and picked up where we left off. Most of the way was still flat, I was so thankful to my hiking shoes as I had absolutely no blisters throughout the whole hike while the others had a bunch, I've no idea how they pushed through it all.

    We soon found ourselves on the rail road tracks, it was just one way and all we had to do was follow it. The views were still amazing as we had the river by our side now bigger than ever. Ramiro started to talk about the various ancient civilizations and about the Incans as we approached Machu Picchu. We were even able to see it from below. The trek went on for a couple of more hours, taking a few breaks every now and then to wait for the two ladies who were a bit behind. I stuck with Ramiro to learn as much as I can but in the end, I couldn't remember much of what he was saying. It was already dark when we finally arrived to Aguas Calientes, this is the town we were going to stay in for the night. We had dinner, just the four of us. The ladies had some wine while I just got some juice. I was still in a vegan mode. I had a whole room to myself again, with fresh beds and another shower. I slept so well that night.    Read more

  • Treading Through GaiaPerú
    Day 7

    Machu Picchu

    May 4, 2021 in Peru ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    The reason for coming all the way here to Peru. Machu Picchu, finally after 4 days of gruesome hiking. We caught the bus going to the ancient site. Ramiro walked us around giving us a lot of information on what we were seeing but to be honest, I was too distracted by everything else and I couldn't remember much. It was awesome either way! The morning was very foggy, but they added so much ambiance as we went uphill. There were llamas all around and I was able to take amazing photos and the mist helped so much and creating a dramatic and mysterious mood. While Ramiro was explaining the history of the place, the fog started to clear out and finally Machu Picchu was revealed in the most amazing fashion. It felt so surreal. We took a lot of photos and went to the center of the ancient civilization. We went around and looked at all the interesting spots and soon parted ways with Ramiro and were left on our own to get back to Cusco. I spent some time doing some meditation and yoga, absorbing the energy of such a powerful and spiritual place, surrounded by mountains, above the clouds. I soon said good bye to Trish and Penelope, telling them that I'll meet them back at the train.Read more

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